


Judgement

by KiwiLombax15



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Pacifist Spoilers, Reversed Personalities, Underswap AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-29
Updated: 2015-12-29
Packaged: 2018-05-10 07:20:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5576371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KiwiLombax15/pseuds/KiwiLombax15
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Despite everything, its still you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Judgement

**Author's Note:**

> (I should be writing my ongoing fic but OH WELL UNDERSWAP AU. For those who haven't heard of it, basically everyone is switched. Papyrus is a lazy time travelling slacker, Sans is a goofy lovable friend, Asgore greets you in the ruins with tea, etc. Look it up, its a ton of fun.)

When they stepped into the corridor they froze, arm swinging up over their eyes to block the golden light. As they adjusted, they took in the expanse of gilded marble and sweeping corridors. Chara clenched their fists and breathed out, trying to stop their hands from shaking.  
They could do this.  
It was almost over.  
A rush of Determination filled them, and they set off.  
It was eerily silent bar the echoes of their footfalls. Windows marked by the delta rune sent streams of sunshine onto the golden floor, fake sunshine, but warming and welcome nonetheless.  
They saw the door ahead, and quickened their pace.  
And a tall shadow stepped from behind a pillar. Clutching the battered and rusty knife to their chest, Chara watched it approach with baited breath. The voice was distorted by echoes when it spoke. Somewhere, a bell chimed.  
“So you finally made it. The end of your journey is at hand. In a few moments you will meet the Queen. Together, you will determine the future of this world. That's then. Now, you will be judged. You will be judged for your every action.”  
The figure had stopped. Chara squinted in an attempt to make out the features, but they were standing in the harsh shadow of a pillar, and they couldn't see anything.  
“You will be judged for every EXP you've earned. What's EXP? It's an acronym. It stands for “Execution points”. A way of quantifying the pain you have inflicted on others. When you kill someone, your EXP increases. When you have enough EXP, your LOVE increases. LOVE too, is an acronym. It stands for “Level of Violence”. A way of measuring someones capacity to hurt. The more you kill, the easier it becomes to distance yourself.”  
As they spoke, Charas hands began to tremble at the memory of the first monster they had encountered, the little Froggit. They had been so close to striking it down. So close...  
“The more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt, the more easily you can bring yourself to hurt others.”  
The shadow stepped forward into the light.  
“Papyrus?”  
He looked odd without the ever-present cigarette, but the worn orange hoody was as familiar as ever. For a moment, he looked down at the floor, lost in thought. When he looked up, he locked eyes with the small child, caked in filth and dirt, legs shaking with exhaustion.  
“But you...You never gained any LOVE. 'course, that doesn't mean you're completely innocent or naive, just that you kept a certain tenderness in your heart. No matter the struggles or hardships you faced, you strived to do the right thing.” The expression in his eyes was one Chara wasn't familiar with, and it took some time to register.  
Pride.  
“You refused to hurt anyone. Even when you ran away, you did it with a smile. You never gained LOVE, but you gained love. Does that make sense? Maybe not.”  
He paused again, dropping his gaze.  
“Now, you're about to face the greatest challenge of your entire journey. Your actions here will determine the fate of the entire world. If you refuse to fight, Toriel will take your soul and destroy humanity, but if you kill Toriel and go home, monsters will remain trapped underground. What will you do?”  
Chara swallowed, throat suddenly thick.  
“I...I...” the knife clattered to the floor. “I don't know!” Chara had done their best. They had tried so hard to be brave and grown up as they faced everything the underground threw at them. But they were only ten. They slumped to their knees and began to sob, exhausted down to the soul.  
And bony arms scooped them up, Papyrus sitting cross legged on the tiled floor as he held Chara and let them cry. Skeletons weren't made for cuddling, but they ignored the bones digging painfully into their skin as they buried their face in his warm hoody, smelling of grease and snow and the tobacco he smoked that smelled like freshly mown lawns and autumn leaves.  
“Kid...you've been so brave.”  
“I'm scared...”  
“I know...”  
“I don't wanna die yet...”  
“I know.”  
He pulled away from the hug, wiping tears from Charas face gently.  
“Kid...I promise you this...if you beat Toriel and go home, we'll never forget you. And staying in the underground won't be so bad if we know our friend is where they belong. And if...and if you don't, I'll stand on the grass and look up at the stars. And I'll remember you. We all will. We'll hold you in our hearts until the day we die. Because we love you. All of us.” He chuckled softly. “Now if I were you, I would have thrown in the towel by now. But you didn't get this far by giving up, did you?” Chara nodded.  
“Thats right. You have so much determination in you. So as long as you hold on, and do whats in your heart, I believe you can do the right thing. Alright...”  
He stood up, setting Chara down gently.  
“We're all counting on you, kid. Good luck.”  
As he turned to walk away, Chara's hand shot out, latching onto his sleeve.  
“Don't lie to Sans about what happened to me, OK? I want him to know the truth, whatever it is.”  
“...I promise.”  
“And...and tell him he was the best friend I ever had.”  
“I think he'll be glad to hear that. Go on, now. No sense keeping her waiting.”  
Chara began to approach the door. Turning, they saw he had somehow vanished between one second and the next.  
The door to the throne room loomed over them, dark and forbidding despite the warm golden light behind them.  
They held the golden locket around their neck that felt so strangely familiar.  
And stepped through.


End file.
